Overdosing, or Almost Overdosing

Archie1989 · Sep 29, 2011

Hey Y'all,

Here's the quick and dirty:

My MC's father is a dealer and a junkie. I'm working on some flashback scenes of her and him together, and I need to incorporate some aspects of what life's like living with someone like this.

I'm working through her learning to associate terms that he would use with their meaning, and a small scene where he comes close to overdosing and her mother finds her trying to help him. Problem is, I don't know what this would look like. If it matters, her father's drugs of choice are coke earlier on, and then meth later.

I know this can be a pretty touchy subject for those who have personal experience, so all comments are incredibly appreciated.

thebloodfiend · Sep 29, 2011

Well, I've never touched or even seen drugs, but I know a movie/book that could be helpful. Requiem for a Dream. It's a pain to slog through, but I've heard the movie is brilliant. The main characters are addicted to heroin, but one of the others is on speed. Crooklyn, also a movie, shows an interesting portrayal of a drug lord turned addict.

I did know a few people who were crackheads, or took meth, but I never actually sat down with them to discuss their addictions. Their teeth were screwed up, they were incredibly thin, and one of them twitched a lot. I've heard that you're never actually over your addiction, just that you aren't an active user at the time, if that makes sense.

(and I just saw your rep. You can send me the new version of WDDTY through email)

ETA: Not Crooklyn. Clockers. Ack.

Snick · Sep 29, 2011

I started writing about junkies OD'ing, then I noticed that he wasn't a jukie; he used coke and meaht. Did you men he was a junkie who also used coke, or was he not a junkie?

Archie1989 · Sep 29, 2011

@ TheBloodFiend, thanks, I'll check out the movie and see if that helps

@Snick, I've always thought that the term "junkie" referred to anyone addicted to 'hard' drugs. If I'm wrong, then please by all means correct me. I use the term a few times in my MS and wouldn't want to be using it incorrectly.

Her dad drinks a lot, deals coke and meth, and uses both. Just to clear that up.

Webman33569 · Sep 29, 2011

I would agree with you on the meaning of a junkie. I have family members who have overdosed on drugs, gone through rehab and then repeated the process.
I was not living with them during all of this but i know my mother was and she was always calling me for advice. For her it was like waking up everyday not knowing what to expect from her daughter and not knowing if she was going to be in the right mind to take care of her kids. Many times my mother ended up watching the kids while my sister was to far gone to think. This brought my mom to a point depression and not knowing what to do.
I dont know if any of that will help but its really all i know.

areteus · Sep 29, 2011

I think, sometimes, a 'Junkie' is someone who uses 'junk' which is a name for heroin. But many use it as a generic word for 'someone who is addicted to hard drugs'.

I would make sure you did some research into the language of drugs if you are not sure about any of the terms. There are many different terms and they are often used in different ways depending on where you are or who you are. There are resources out there which may help.

There are also resources out there which give the symptoms of overdose for various drugs from which you may be able to extrapolate some of what you need and then get someone to fill in the gaps for you. Good luck in your research!

J.W. · Sep 29, 2011

Heart palpitations are common when doing too much coke. You feel really sick afterwards and your nerves are shot. Drinking can calm the nerves in the short term, if you have the stomach for it, but alcohol only makes it worst in the long run. Alcohol withdrawal in conjunction with coming off of a coke high can cause panic attacks and depression. The problem with panic attacks and depression is that they can snowball, much like an addiction.

Snick · Sep 29, 2011

Archie1989 said:
@Snick, I've always thought that the term "junkie" referred to anyone addicted to 'hard' drugs. If I'm wrong, then please by all means correct me. I use the term a few times in my MS and wouldn't want to be using it incorrectly.

Her dad drinks a lot, deals coke and meth, and uses both. Just to clear that up.

A junkie is one who uses junk;i.e., heroin.

junk

3 /

dʒʌŋk/ Show Spelled[

juhngk] Show IPA
noun Slang . 1. narcotics, especially heroin.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/junk

Coke and Meth are stimulants, not narcotics.

Captcha · Sep 29, 2011

Snick said:
A junkie is one who uses junk;i.e., heroin.

junk

3 /

dʒʌŋk/ Show Spelled[

juhngk] Show IPA
noun Slang . 1. narcotics, especially heroin.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/junk

Coke and Meth are stimulants, not narcotics.

Click to expand...

Depends if you're using the medical or legal definition of 'narcotic'. Legally, most 'hard' drugs are classed as narcotics. See, for example, the UN's Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, which deals with cocaine and most other illegal drugs of the time.

Chiquita Banana · Sep 29, 2011

Archie1989, I hear "junkie" I think "heroin addict". "Addict" works for anything, and there probably are more specific terms for cocaine and meth addicts - at the moment only "coke-head" and "meth-head" come to mind - just as there are for "potheads" ("stoner", "toker" or the not-so-nice ones "wasteoid", "burnout").

Um... I don't partake myself. Seriously.

Snick · Sep 30, 2011

Captcha said:
Snick said:

A junkie is one who uses junk;i.e., heroin.

Depends if you're using the medical or legal definition of 'narcotic'. Legally, most 'hard' drugs are classed as narcotics. See, for example, the UN's Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, which deals with cocaine and most other illegal drugs of the time.

Click to expand...

I was using the practical definition. I have known junkies, coke fiends, etc. Junkies are heroin addicts. I suppose that it wouldn't be wrong to say that other drug addicts were junkies, but coke and meth are not addictive; they create psychological dependencies, but no physical addiction. I suppose that when you use a word it means what you want it to; but that impedes communication.

Archie1989 · Sep 30, 2011

Thanks, guys.

Does anyone know what it looks like when someone overdoses? (Morbid, I know. Sorry) Would they just kind of be passed out? I'm trying to write a flashback scene where the MC as a child is trying to wake her dad up after he overdoses but I'm not sure if it's accurate.

Chiquita Banana · Sep 30, 2011

No, I've never seen anyone overdose, but there is so much information out there these days. You should Google this stuff. Better yet, I'd say Google films that have scenes of people overdosing and then watch them. (Pulp Fiction, for a start. Sid & Nancy - although I'm pretty sure they OD'd on heroin. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas? Not sure if anyone OD's in that one...)

Bereheath · Sep 30, 2011

Get friendly with the local police and/or someone working in ER, buy them a meal and have them tell you about things. Or ask whether you can stay with them for a shift and observe someone who ODs.

Check out Daniel Baldwin, there should be accounts galore of what he did when ODing on crack. He once went on a nekkid rampage in a posh New York hotel, then was taken to a hospital.

Nuwanda · Oct 4, 2011

Bereheath said:
Get friendly with the local police and/or someone working in ER, buy them a meal and have them tell you about things. Or ask whether you can stay with them for a shift and observe someone who ODs.

I have a few cop friends I talked with while I was writing my novella. My step-mom is also a psych for a non profit and It's my understanding that they will be willing to help you out with as much info as possible. Try sitting on NA/AA groups as well.

That programme on the telly, Intervention, will show you the effects of people getting close to it and occasionally blacking out because of the stuff. The emotions you get out of that will definitely help you write out the response from the other characters as well.

stray · Feb 2, 2012

The drugs meth or cocaine shouldn't cause the user to pass out due to an overdose, unless it's of a hypertensive heart attack or there's an allergy to something its cut with... These are stimulants and do not work in the same way as an overdose of say Herion or alcohol (depressents) would work.

I think some research is needed here. I guess if someone was to overdose on coke or speed then there would be frothing at the mouth episode and an epilectic type seizure, whereas someone od-ing on a depresent would just appear to be passed out.

For the purpose of the story it might be better to just describe the episodes of paranoia and irrational behaviour that are more symptomatic of a long -term stimulant addiction rather than trying to describe an over-dose which wouldn't be typical to the condition.

boron · Feb 2, 2012

To understand how drugs work, you might need to read about their effects, overdose symptoms, withdrawal symptoms and long-term effects (in below articles).

Cocaine (a powder to snort) and crack cocaine (crystals to smoke) are stimulants. Overdose: dilated pupils, restlessness, hallucinations, possible violent behavior. Those who snort cocaine have various problems with their noses...

Meth is a stimulant (to smoke or snort). Overdose: "sweating profusely, rapid breathing, increased heart rate and dilated pupils." Pictures of "meth mouth"

Heroin is a narcotic (induces sleepiness), usually injected into a vein. Overdose: narrowed pupils, drowsiness, nodding, slow breathing, coma. Traces of injection wounds, visibly inflamed forearm veins are common.

Other narcotics include morphine, codeine, methadone.

Addicts may combine drugs, but, I guess, they use one main drug in one period. You may choose one drug and study it.

A glossary of drug-related terms

Overdosing, or Almost Overdosing

Archie1989

Is Published!!!

thebloodfiend

Cory

Snick

Archie1989

Is Published!!!

Webman33569

areteus

J.W.

Snick

Captcha

Chiquita Banana

practical experience, FTW

Snick

Archie1989

Is Published!!!

Chiquita Banana

practical experience, FTW

Bereheath

Nuwanda

stray

boron

Health writer